With all the talk about the upcoming bike fest in Daytona, as well as all of the great rides in this month’s Go FAR magazine, I started thinking about one of my favorite pastimes……...road trips. That great American institution that beckons us to load up our gear, grab our shades and take off down the road in search of something awesome. Within the first few miles, it’s a little escape from the day-to-day doldrums that seems to erase twenty years of kids, mortgages, bills and crappy bosses. And what memorable road trip would be complete without a great soundtrack? That perfect CD to wash out the sounds of the road and convince you that you can remember the words to your favorite songs. So, which CD is the right choice?

The answer to that question is solely based on personal choice, but for road trips I think it really should be classic rock. Something along the lines of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, The Beatles or any other great rock band that can boast more than two hit songs and can probably be heard on any grocery store Muzak. With all of the possibilities, the choices can be daunting but not impossible. When the idea for this column overtook me, my first impulse was to grab an old friend, The Doobie Brothers.

One of the best rock bands out of northern California and the first real biker band to somehow slip into mainstream radio without anyone in the suburbs noticing. They have produced a mountain of timeless music and with 2008 tour dates just announced, are still Takin’ It To The Streets. Of course, there are many choices in their catalog, but Best Of The Doobies seems to cover a lot of my favorites. Besides, I DO know all of the words to the songs on that CD. Really. Released on Warner Brothers Records in 1976, Best Of The Doobies contains some of the most memorable songs from the groups’ first five albums and represents some of the best music of the era. In the early days, prior to the addition of Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers were a great guitar-driven rock band that crafted seamless harmonies inside extremely well written tunes. That’s not to say that Michael didn’t bring something to the table, but the sound of the band definitely took a turn towards blue-eyed soul in the days following his arrival. Even with the inclusion of several McDonald penned tunes, this CD is still one of my all-time favorites and my choice for the first road trip of the season.

Starting with the hammering guitar licks of China Grove, you can’t help but find yourself cruising at 65mph in a 55mph zone. Unfortunately, for those of us with a few points on our records, there isn’t much on this album that makes you want to slow down. Long Train Runnin’ follows with a chorus that almost anyone knows. Come on, you know it don’t you? I can remember wearing the grooves off the album while trying to learn the guitar parts to this song during my teen years. Takin’ It To The Streets is next, followed by one of the great sing-along songs of all time, Listen To The Music. If you listen closely, you can even hear what is most likely one of the first banjo parts in a rock song. Black Water made us all think that we could sing along with the harmonies just like the record, an early version of karaoke. Rockin’ Down The Highway is another great driving song as is the church rock song Jesus Is Just Alright. Michael McDonald supplies a classic example of his writing style with It Keeps You Runnin’ which includes a really funky keyboard part that makes you tap your boots and attempt “air keyboards”. South City Midnight Lady is the first song to slow down the tempo and is a perfect love song for old, crusty road dogs that wouldn’t be caught dead singing along to Air Supply. Rounding out with Take Me In Your Arms and Without You, Best Of The Doobies keeps your head bobbing right up to the last power chord.

This CD is a time-tested, true-blue, road trip worthy collection of tunes that will slip you a hundred miles down the highway before you know it. Of course, there are a dozen other collections that will do the same thing, but start here first. Trust me. Best Of The Doobies is available on Amazon.com, Yahoo Music, as well as most stores that still carry CD’s. For more information, check out the official Doobie Brother’s website at www.doobiebrothers.net.